hopefully

adverb

Definition of hopefullynext
as in optimistically
in a positive or optimistic manner They waited hopefully for the doctor to update them on their friend's condition. When the sun appeared, we asked hopefully if everyone remembered to bring sunblock.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hopefully The Cure’s food would be so easy to digest that my body could, hopefully, concentrate on rest. — Marisa Meltzer, Vanity Fair, 17 July 2026 The idea is to build a party that manages to unite (and to do so more than grudgingly) across its various wings, much as the opposition in Hungary did to defeat Viktor Orbán and now, hopefully, to stamp out Orbánism. — Bill McKibben, New Yorker, 16 July 2026 Winston said all the positive news of international fans having a good time stateside for the World Cup may help slowly correct that, and, hopefully, Comic-Con can add to the momentum. — Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 July 2026 Both Flores and new Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley are defensive masterminds, so hopefully this will be a quite the chess match. — Miami Herald, 16 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for hopefully
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hopefully
  1. optimistically
  2. happily
  3. cheerfully
  4. confidently
  5. joyfully
  6. positively
  7. joyously
Adverb
  • Major League Baseball optimistically released its 2027 schedule on Thursday.
    — Staff report, Oc Register, 16 July 2026
  • In addition to Musk, tech leaders like OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, have all spoken optimistically about humanity entering a phase of interplanetary travel within their lifetimes.
    — Preston Fore, Fortune, 14 July 2026
Definition of optimistically
Adverb
  • Like the broader romance genre, dark romance guarantees a happily ever after.
    — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 18 July 2026
  • Still, Whitney and Conner are living their happily ever after with their family of five.
    — Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 17 July 2026
Definition of happily
Adverb
  • Perez handled the decision more cheerfully than fans in Sacramento, which is serving as the A’s temporary home while their new ballpark is being constructed in Las Vegas.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 6 July 2026
  • My second appointment is with Dr Mohit Mangla, the allopathic consultant, who explains cheerfully that Tulåh prioritizes Ayurveda, albeit viewed through the lens of modern medicine.
    — Susan D'Arcy, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 June 2026
Definition of cheerfully
Adverb
  • In some markets, decisions were made quickly and confidently.
    — Jorge Couto, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
  • Putin and his Kremlin oligarchs have confidently anticipated a crumbling of Western assistance for Ukraine.
    — Ihor N. Stelmach, Hartford Courant, 19 July 2026
Definition of confidently
Adverb
  • Ron Seman was known as the master of the Indiana Dunes trails, spending years joyfully guiding thousands of people on journeys through its natural wonders.
    — Jim Woods, Chicago Tribune, 29 June 2026
  • Uruguay, for their part, joyfully celebrated becoming the second team, after Italy, to win the World Cup twice.
    — Will Jeanes, New York Times, 20 June 2026
Definition of joyfully
Adverb
  • The future of the microcollege movement remains uncertain, but alumni like Coyne believe their own futures have been positively shaped by the experience.
    — Kerry McDonald, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
  • Tillis, who spent much of his time at the hearing complaining about the Biden administration, seemed positively inclined toward Blanche.
    — Quinta Jurecic, The Atlantic, 16 July 2026
Definition of positively
Adverb
  • But those scenes of coming together joyously around this team, this diverse team, this remarkable team from all points, [Folarin] Balogun himself a birthright citizen leading this.
    — Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026
  • At the same time, the episode still leaves space for slower beats, including some joyously non-essential downtime moments.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 14 July 2026
Definition of joyously

Browse Nearby Words

hopeful
hopefully
hopefulness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hopefully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hopefully. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on hopefully

Nglish: Translation of hopefully for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of stalwart

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
thumbnail graphic with text word of the day quiz
Weekly "Word of the Day" Quiz See how well you know each Word of the Day for Ju...
See All